Can you guess which books these Halloween costumes were inspired by? Photos from around the internet - answers below. 

​In order of appearance...

Moby Dick
Twilight (duh!)
The Twits / Hagrid
American Horror Story Asylum
The Hobbit
Frankenstein
and my favourite... 50 Shades of Grey

Let me know if you think of your own literary costumes...

Lou x

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Life is full of little bonuses, and we British love the thrill. Here are 23 things which send mild thrills through the body of the average Brit. 
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Remembering your bags for life - now more than ever!

Being in the quicker moving queue in a motorway jam

When you discover two people you know have the same birthdays. Maths Geeks: 99.9% probability is reached with just 70 people, and 50% probability with 23 people, but still... exciting!

Biscuit dunking perfection - playing roulette with the strength of the bake before it becomes too soggy and drops off

When someone you know has the same name as a famous person - I knew an 'Anne Robinson' a few years ago! 

Shops with clever names. This is my favourite, in a town from my previous life, Towcester, Northants

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​Remembering it's the "2 can dine for £10" deal weekend at M&S

A risky, brave BBQ in April

Watching your Lottery numbers not come up - one day it'll happen...!

​Knowing the answer to a University Challenge question

Having the exact change

Seeing somewhere you've visited on TV - "Been there!!!"

Receiving a Council Tax or HMRC Tax refund through the post

Eating cake while watching The Great British Bake Off

An interesting date (e.g. 10/11/12, May the Fourth - Star Wars Day, Pi Day)

Arrival of your latest installment loyalty card vouchers

A brand new, unwrapped DVD box set

Discovering town names which are rude or funny

Finding a petrol station with a couple of pence off the fuel price compared to your 'local'

Lighting a fire 

Finding a fiver in last year's winter coat 

Managing to eat a scone in company without someone discussing the two ways of saying it

Paying for something entirely with points

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Love it...or is it just me?!

Lou x

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I was brought up in a church-going Christian household, and I don't like the taste of pumpkin. We never had any form of Halloween celebrations, other than the odd bit of on-theme 'art' we did at school. We didn't give sweets to kids in the neighbourhood (one year got egged because of it!), and I was petrified of horror movies into my early teens. My mum even used to take us out to a friend's house on Halloween to avoid the trick or treaters. It goes without saying we never traipsed the streets dressed up, looking for a sugar high from familiar doorsteps. I remember thinking I was missing out, and as the years passed, the excuse that the event was for kids kind of stuck. 

Halloween just didn't happen in our house. 

Fast forward 20-30 years, and I am planning to wrap the house in Halloween gear ready to bring in the 31st October. I'm planning gross looking food (e.g. 'mummy' croissants, 'pumpkin' fruits - you'll see!) for a little ghoulish cocktail get together, I'm entering Halloween themed writing competitions, and I'm trying to work out when I'll get the time to pumpkin carve. In my previous Northamptonshire life I enjoyed the annual zumba 'spooktacular', really getting into the spirit of the thing. 

After a hesitant and discouraging start, why do I now love Halloween so much?

Firstly, I don't need much of an excuse to get into fancy dress. And, I plan, when I have kids, to make Saturdays 'fancy dress day'. They will be (forcibly?!) dressed in outfits from Snow White to the superheroes while we carry on our way through regular Saturday activities. We'll brighten up our local grocery shop! Complex and well-thought through or eBay specials and simple hints - love those costumes. I can't wait to take my kids trick or treating!

Halloween is a great time to try something different. I mentioned I'm baking goods with a spooky taste, making me attempt new things in the kitchen. Same goes for cocktails. If it wasn't for Halloween, I'd never have discovered raspberry liquor. I'm also trying new ways to decorate our home. I love a bit of craft - there's more to Halloween decor than pumpkins!

Some of my favourite films are in the horror genre. I love a good (or bad!) zombie movie - the best being Dawn of the Dead - The Shining is in my top ten, I think, and I'm looking forward to the forthcoming Frankenstein movie, Victor Frankenstein. 

Maybe Halloween's not just for kids. Maybe I've grown into Halloween - and I'm having a great time of it. Never liked apple bobbing though. Water, up nose, not good. I'll stick to toffee apples. 

Stay tuned for my week of Halloween planning - spooky edibles and decorations, cake and BOOze!

Lou x

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​This was my first sweet potato pie, unbelievably, as it's my favourite vegetable. The first step in the preparations for Halloween... and I want a bite! 

I've really perfected my Great British Bake off style over watching...

Lou x

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Born to be a Tourist - just finished a Costa Rica mini series here, take a look!

Getting married. An untimely death of a childhood friend. Family. Two solicitor hirings. My first house. A few things which have made me grow up a little in the last year. I had a pretty stable upbringing, a lucky child of loving, successful parents, but despite that, half a lifetime ago I was in a bit of a state. Feeling the pressure of exams and insignificant teenage life, I still have few regrets, but if I'd known a few things about life and the future, I would have had a smoother introduction into adult life.  

​Aside from the lottery results, here's 15 things I wish I could tell my 15 year old self. 

I'm back from holidays, back on home ground from Costa Rican adventures. Come check out the Costa Rican special over on my travel blog and see the highs, lows and curiousness of the trip. 

In the meantime, I will be thinking of some fun, interesting and useful blogs about reading, writing and baking for my original blog, right here on Miss Write. I've got a weekend of decorating planned, but with my reader hits dwindling from the three week break, you can bet I'll be posting again soon. 

Keep writing - let me know how you're getting on @MissWriteUK or on my Facebook page. 


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Lou x

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Born to be a Tourist

Holiday reads are one of the best kind of reads, but often I only really get to power through a novel when I'm in the terminal between flights. El Husbandio is not a huge reader, and often we're so busy and so tired at the end of the day while we're on holiday, not much reading gets done at our destination. If we did more poolside holidays, more might be read, but that doesn't happen with us! We're more backpacking, visiting family and cycling, if the last couple of years is anything to go by - not much pool time!

So, we're off to Costa Rica again on Friday and I've chosen my holiday reads. I finished Frankenstein last night, trying to get it under my belt by Thursday, and now I'm ready for a change. 

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry ~ Mildred D. Taylor
I read this when I was in Secondary School (about 14 years old) and I remember loving it but can't remember why. I hope it lives up to the memory!

A Mersey Mile ~ Ruth Hamilton
This is a gamble - I've never heard of the writer before, but I got a 241 deal on another book I bought recently and picked this one up to try. It's my back up in case I finish Roll of Thunder. 

Have you read either of these? What did you think?

Lou x

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Baking, baking, baking. I'm going made for it. Not only have I bought myself a posh new cake stand (my first!) and a croissant cutting rolling pin, I now own an icing kit. And what do I blame? The Great British Bake Off. The fantastic TV show has gripped the country for 5 series and it's back on our screens with 12 new participants seeking fame and frosting. 

Paul is as dashing as ever. Mary is more darling than ever. Mel and Sue? They've grown on me with every series and I'd miss them if they were no longer the cheeky hosts. My bet this year is Ian - probably like most people. Love his understated humble approach to inventiveness in the oven. Personal favourite: Ugne, but she's gone. Loved her, so creative!

Frankly, I love the Bake Off. And so do 9 million other people. 

Most of the recipes are pretty challenging, technical and too artistic for me, but contestant Nadiya baked something last week I needed to try: the icing pattern bake (I'm calling it). 

When the cake it taken out of the oven, carefully turn the cake out onto a cooling rack and peel off the grease proof paper. Voila, your pattern is etched onto the sponge. I was amazed how clearly is came out, no smudging and the icing didn't grow or shrink in the temperature change.

I cut the sponge into 3cm (ish) squares and made a sandwich with them using a plain sponge (same recipe) and a honey mascarpone cream filling. Delish! They really were tasty ... I felt quite sick once the bake had finished, I ate so many off-cuts and smears of icing!

See below - my 'mini Nadiya cakes' are displayed on my new cake stand with a friend's brownies. Who's hungry?!

With hindsight, the pretty little pattern I made wasn't very visible once I'd cut the sponge sandwich into small(er) bites. I should have gone for a grid or something - the leaves and swirls would work better as a tablet bake. 

Thanks to Nadiya for her inspiration!

Lou x

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I made it - it's only the third time I've cycled to work from the new house, and I think (hope!) it's getting easier. That 25 minute uphill ride is challenging, I'll say that!_

Still, I wanted to use this opportunity to signpost you, lovely readers to my travel blog, Born to be a Tourist. I have a category on that blog roll on cycling, which, if you're reading this post, you may enjoy. It's loosely linked to travel as I've been around a lot on it (Wales, Gloucester - more to come!), but it's full of fun stuff. Take a look!

So... did you cycle to work today?

Lou x

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Born to be a Tourist

A year ago today, I married El Husbandio, as he's become known as on my blog. Thank you, yes, we're doing great and loving being married!

We woke up this morning after a good (first!) night's sleep in our new house. Yes, on sofa and floor, pending furniture, but still, very comfy and warm. Exactly how we feel in being married after a year. 

Today couldn't pass me by without a bit of reflection. Memories, love and special treats are all wrapped into today's special date, but I wanted to think about how marriage is different to being boyfriend and girlfriend. Yes, all these things can come with non-married couples, any sex, age and culture, but these changes are what I have seen come around in the 12 months since our ceremony on the beach. 




We represent each other when the other cannot. We rarely can't make things, but if for example, a family event came up and one couldn't make it, the other would go in their place, where possible. I remember having a chat with my mum a few years back when my cousin died; had my sister or I been married, we would have expected our husbands (just boyfriends at the time) to have gone to the funeral in our place. We were both abroad at the time and couldn't make it back. It's a step up from being a couple, representing each other in absence - you're a recognised unit. 

Living together came to El Husbandio and me only after we were married. As he's from Costa Rica and I'm British, visa requirements wouldn't allow us to live together for longer than three months - and that meant three long months of not working for El Husbandio. He was essentially a tourist. Great as that sounds, there were lots of days when he was a bit lost, at a loose end - it's so much better now we've both got a focus and motivation in our jobs! Living together has been a lot of fun, with some trials and bumps in the road, but we wouldn't have it any other way. I feel more at 'home' than ever, even having moved four times since we've been married. Our first night in our first house last night felt... right. 

Of course, we have plans, but since graduating from being a couple to a married couple, our plans have taken a step up too. We're now talking about kids. About bringing his family over to the UK to visit. About DIY projects on our new house. About when and how we might buy an upgrade on our little Toyota. None of this would have been on our radar a year ago. We're more settled and are beginning to grow roots here in Bristol - we're thinking more long-term and bigger. How exciting! Planning has gone to a whole new level when we have our own and some shared dreams and ideas. 

Another way marriage makes our union different is the relationships we have with our and each others parents. I feel more than ever that I have a home in Costa Rica with his family and have learned a lot about how their family unit functions, but I've also learned more about my family in this time. I know El Husbandio feels the same way in reverse. It's a good feeling - it's always better to find ways of understanding your family. Everyone gets disappointed with situations here and there, everyone has arguments... Families are notorious for being difficult sometimes. Getting to know what drives them and how they feel is important and builds links further for the future and can bring a family closer. I thought I knew what marriage was about, having watched my mum and dad over the last 30 years, but never more than now. 

How else has life changed since this time last year? Our finances are more intertwined now we're married. Partly as we now live together, but also because we have plans, a shared bank account, and a limited income. That sounded quite scary at first, but it's wonderful to be able to plan and share together. We've worked out a way to share responsibility of bills and to cope with less money than we expected, and it's working. Share and support: keystones in a successful first year!

I don't know if this is all guff to you; maybe you do all this with your other half and you're not married. Maybe you're married and don't do these things. However, for us, they're important in ways they haven't been before. I've always been an independent person, and I've learned how great it can be to have your best friend, cheerleader and lover on your team, officially. It's taken a lot of work, time, stress and money to get us in the same country and married, and we try every day not to take it for granted. Despite some barneys, some differences and challenges, we're one blessed couple.

Happy anniversary, mi amor xxx

Lou x

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